Richard V. Woods Memorial Bridge

Woods Memorial Bridge

Coordinates	32°25′39″N 80°40′09″W / 32.42750°N 80.66917°W / 32.42750; -80.66917Coordinates: 32°25′39″N 80°40′09″W / 32.42750°N 80.66917°W / 32.42750; -80.66917
Carries	US 21 Bus.
Crosses	Beaufort River (Intracoastal Waterway)
Locale	Beaufort – Lady's Island, South Carolina, United States
Official name	Richard V. Woods Memorial Bridge
Maintained by	South Carolina Department of Transportation
Characteristics
Design	Movable swing
Width	28 feet (8.5 m)
Load limit	20 tons (18 metric tons)
Clearance above	30 feet (9.8m) (closed)
History
Opened	1959

The Richard V. Woods Memorial Bridge, (known locally as the Woods Bridge) is a swing bridge that connects downtown Beaufort with Lady's Island and the outer Sea Islands in Beaufort County, South Carolina. The bridge is named in memory of Richard V. Woods (1935–1969), who was a South Carolina Highway Patrol officer killed in the line of duty ^[1] and was opened on December 17, 1959, having replaced an earlier swing-bridge that was built 1927.^[2]

The bridge swings on its central axis to open for boat traffic which is too tall to clear the bridge, and has an operator's station in the center of the span from which an attendant can operate the bridge. Due to the presence of the Intracoastal Waterway, the bridge is required to frequently open for boat traffic to pass through.

The bridge was featured in the film Forrest Gump (1994) as a stand-in for a bridge across the Mississippi River. In the film, Forrest Gump is interviewed by television reporters about his cross-country running trip while crossing the bridge.^[3]

Gallery of images

A view of the bridge at night from Downtown Beaufort's Henry C. Chambers Waterfront Park.
The bridge is shown from Lady's Island.
The bridge is shown in the open position to allow a sailboat to pass.

References

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